


All This Time, We Were Wrong

by FrostIron_ed (Thorki_ed), Thorki_ed



Category: The Avengers (2012), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Kidnapping, M/M, Non-Graphic Rape/Non-Con, Psychological Torture, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-03
Updated: 2014-03-11
Packaged: 2017-11-15 12:46:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thorki_ed/pseuds/FrostIron_ed, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thorki_ed/pseuds/Thorki_ed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything that happened, happened for a reason. Loki's plans were to the tee - but for completely different reasons. The Avengers are shocked to learn of Loki's true intentions, of Thanos's power, and how utterly wrong they had been this whole time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ryouseiteki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryouseiteki/gifts).



> Because my Loki feels never went away, even when I wrote [this frickin monster.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/527249) They wouldn't leave me alone.
> 
> I apologize.  
> Longs breaks are also due to me rotating between my WIPs and the fact that I can't see what I'm typing through my tears. Mostly the latter.
> 
> xo

This was the plan: Assemble, grab Loki, and give him back to Thor with a priority shipping sticker on his ass to Asgard.

What actually happened: Assembled, saw no sign of Loki, and got their asses handed to them with black bags over their heads.

Let’s rewind.

\--

“What do you mean he’s gone!?” Clint bellowed. Thor stared into the distance, his eyes full of regret and fear. The rest of the Avengers were in equal shock, all staring at Thor for an explanation. Director Nick Fury crossed his arms, knowing that Thor’s answer wasn’t going to please them much.

“The cell we kept my brother in was forged to block the use of magic, it must have been destroyed from the outside,” Thor explained. “He vanished in the early morning, but nobody heard or saw a thing.”

Tony scoffed, “Loki has friends? Ha.”

Bruce offered the only logical conclusions. “The Chitauri, then?”

Thor nodded solemnly. “During his trial he claimed that he was not in connection with the Chitauri, and that his aid had been a temporary repayment, but it is the only answer we have.”

“Temporary repayment? Of what?” Fury asked.

“He did not say,” Thor replied.

“Of course he didn’t.” The director laughed harshly and shook his head.

The next day, magical signatures had popped up all around the world, hitting every continent on the map.

“What’s he doing?” Natasha asked, wary of Loki’s intentions. 

Bruce could only shake his head. “Tracking gamma radiation off the Tesseract is one thing, this is something completely different.”

“But you’ll get him, right?” Fury pushed.

“Depends. Can you get Tony in here and Strange on the line?”

It took them weeks of sleepless nights and threats to rip each other’s heads off to perfect their work. For someone who didn’t play well with others, Tony had been extremely patient, almost content even, to be working alongside the other scientists. They presented their findings to Fury, who wouldn’t show it, but was secretly delighted. 

“Find him,” he commanded.

\--

 

The attacks across the city were more deadly than they’d ever been – over three hundred civilians were dead within the first week with countless more injured or hanging on for their lives in the hospitals. Thor insisted something was wrong – this couldn’t be Loki’s doing, it just couldn’t, he would plead.

“He killed eighty people in two days,” Natasha reminded him. “I’m sure he doesn’t think three hundred in a week is a big difference.”

Clint spat, clearly showing what he thought of Thor’s brother.

 

\--

 

Disoriented and barely awake, they could only make out the muffled sounds of the others trying to make sense of what had happened, and who they were dealing with. The lights snapped on all at once, illuminating their prison. They hung from the ceiling in clear tubes, “trapped like lab rats” as Tony had so helpfully put it. In a semi-circle, Thor was right across from Clint, with Steve beside him. Bruce was placed beside the Captain, Natasha on his other side. 

Thanos welcomed their consciousness with a haughty taunt from below, yet it wasn’t directed at them. “See my little pet? It was so simple.”


	2. Chapter 2

Loki glared at him over the mouth guard, which they recognized as their own. He was strapped to a tilted metal table by leather and metal bounds in the middle of their semi-circle, bare from the waist up and littered with bruises and bloodied scars. The Avengers immediately turned their attention to Thor, who had sunk to his knees. “Brother,” he whispered against the glass, which the others could only make out from the way his lips moved.

“A simple, simple thing, to kill the Avengers, yet I gave you too much credit. Though I suppose that was a misjudgement on my part – you’ve never succeeded in anything your whole life, have you?” He too was covered in bruises, with a large bite mark in his shoulder and a split lip. He didn’t seem to care as he smiled widely and turned to leave the room as Thor clasped his hands together and raised them above his hand to smash against the glass. Loki gave him a hard stare and shook his head. _Don’t._

Thor paid the warning no attention and lunged forward, bringing his weight down upon his hands, and bounced off the reinforced cage. That was how the team soon realized they would be responsible for each other’s pain in an entirely new way.

\--

 

Steve was the first to recover, shaking his head to chase away the numbing sensation, while Clint’s face grimaced in pain and Bruce shuddered on the spot. Natasha was the next, and clearly picked up on Thanos’s dirty little trick. “Thor, you need to listen to Loki right now.” The words were surprising, even to her, but effectively stopped Thor from trying again.

Loki blinked once before turning his attention to her, his eyes questioning, but grateful.

“Each time we move we shock someone?”

Loki nodded.

“Random, every time?” She pursued. 

Another nod.

“Terrific,” Clint muttered, sitting down carefully and crossing his legs. They were only an hour in, and nobody wanted to think of how many more there were going to be. They needed to get out. Now. Each seemed to be lost in their own thoughts before Loki thrashed to get someone’s attention.

“Brother, what is it? Are you hurt?” Thor asked in concern.

Loki rolled his eyes before looking at Bruce, flicking his head up to point with his chin. Bruce had only the slightest green twinge to his skin, but the message was clear enough.

 _Keep him calm._ The cage was clearly designed so that if the Other Guy wanted to come out, he would be pushed against the glass at all times, sending continuous shocks through the team, and most likely killing them.

Defeated, Thor just sunk to his knees again. “Loki, is it true?” Thor asked in a scratchy voice, obviously trying to hold back tears. “Were you meant to kill us?”

Loki stared. If he didn’t have the contraption over his mouth, perhaps he would have scoffed, but he never gave Thor an answer.

“Please, brother! Tell me! Is this true?” Thor pleaded louder, no longer bothering with holding his tears back. They streamed down his face, splattering against the floor of his cage. Oh, how dearly it hurt to think he had given up on his brother too soon. 

This time, Loki stared at him with a softer look. He closed his eyes and nodded once.

“But he didn’t,” Thanos burst in. “And for that, he will be punished.” He threw a simple looking black stone at Loki’s feet, but by the horror in Loki’s widened eyes, it was clearly not as simple as it looked. Thanos grinned wickedly at the response. “Burn, little traitor.”

The block erupted into bright flames, red as Thor’s cape and grew until it was as tall as Loki’ waist. Even though it was a few inches away, he writhed frantically as if it were upon him, eyes closing, opening wide, thrashing as much as he could. The clanging of his restraints against the table were almost enough to mask the sounds of his pained, muffled screams. Almost, but not enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so as you can see am I so far away from my comfort zone right now it's almost overwhelming.
> 
> please, please bear with me  
> and hold all my Loki feels for me because goddamn I can't handle them all.
> 
> updates within the week, hopefully.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out about Loki’s actions, Thanos borrows Odin’s idea and takes his pleasure with Loki, and the Avengers have never been more horrified.

The sadistic torment continued until the flame died on its own, Loki breathing deeply though his nose. Thanos had come in with nothing, which they were grateful for.

Yet in a moment, they almost wished he had.

“So precious you are, with your feeble attempts of escape,” Thanos taunted, brushing his finger down the side of Loki’s face. Loki’s nostrils flared in disgust, as he jerked his head away. Thanos merely laughed.

“I like when you struggle,” he breathed, hands gripping the waistband of Loki’s pants. The god’s eyes flew open, clearly not expecting this.

“Don’t you dare touch my brother!” Thor cried, slamming his cage again. They understood – it was difficult for Thor. They’d seen him fight tooth and nail _for_ his brother, they’d seen him shed tears and sweat fighting _against_ his brother, but worst of all – worst of all, they’d seen him give up. The day that New York was flooded by his storm was the day Thor had announced Loki no longer his brother. The guilt must burn through him like acid.

Loki gave a muffled cry with sharp eyes, as if he spewed a threat, but Thanos merely laughed, and stripped Loki naked, ripping the fabric off. Loki tried to kick, but his restraints kept his legs from ever reaching Thanos. Instead, Thanos held one leg in each hand, large enough to almost wrap all around the entire thigh, and held them open. 

Steve was the first to turn away, the rest soon following suit. It was a small, small comfort that they could provide Loki, but it was all they had. That, and a promise to kill the monster that kept them trapped. Thor’s palms and wrists bled where he had balled his fists too harshly or bitten into his flesh hard enough to bleed, to stop himself from screaming, from harming his team mates further. Loki was too proud to whimper, the only sound came a pained grunt, when – the Avengers could only imagine – Thanos had breached him. The thought was sickening, and someone had started to retch. 

They covered their ears from the stifled cries, willing, praying, begging that they would end, but it was for naught. Sadistic as Thanos was, he had made the room for this – a chamber for torture, rounded and nearly hollow for the echoes of their pain to ring out for all to hear. There was a crack of some sort, a clang as metal fell to the ground. Tony heard it right away, turning around, hopeful that Loki had found a way out of his metal cuffs and restraints.

But the sight that greeted him was far from hopeful. 

“Shame, I rather liked that muzzle on,” Thanos taunted, eyeing the broken mouthguard that now lay on the ground by their feet. Wisps of green steam floated from it, remnants of Loki’s flaring power. Loki spat on his face in retaliation, chest heaving from breathing, his lower half still strung tightly and desperately trying to get free from the cock buried deep inside him. 

“ _Release me, you –_ ” The next words were cut off with Thanos’s large hand.

Thanos’s laugh chilled them to the bone, his words scraping. “Release I shall, my _pet_.” 

Bruce yelled loudly enough that the team feared he might lose control, drawing their attention to him. Tony squeezed his eyes shut as tightly as he could as Loki snarled and Thanos came with a joyous, stuttering cry, the sharp slap of their flesh finally ceasing as he groaned. 

His fingers had left angry red prints in Loki’s thighs, his release dribbling out of Loki’s abused hole. “It’s a shame your little friends didn’t watch – we’ll have to give them a better show next time.”

The promise made Loki growl behind the giant hand, and the moment Thanos retracted it, Loki lashed forward and bit it, latching on with sharp teeth. Thanos’s scream made the Avengers turn around, and now, they were rooting for the god that had almost brought down New York. 

“Hang in there, Loki…” Clint whispered.

“Brother, we’ll get you out,” Thor promised.

Thanos cradled his bloodied hand, and laughed sinisterly at his prisoners. “Nobody’s getting out of here,” he said.

“Ignorant fool, you can’t keep us in here. There are a thousand ways out, ways that –“

Thanos’s powerful backhand had effectively stopped Loki from talking further before he stormed out of the room. 

“Loki?” Thor said hoarsely.

“What?” he snapped, fighting to keep the grimace off his face. His usually silky voice had come out scratched, and Thor began to worry how long Thanos had kept him from speaking.

“I – I am so sorry –“

“Stop,” Loki cut him off harshly. “I don’t want to hear it.”

"But -"

"STOP!"

They were silent for a moment, trying to divert their eyes from Loki’s nude form, but the gashes and bruises were hard to ignore. They felt a pang of unwelcomed guilt, sorrow that they had misunderstood Loki all this time.

Bruce held on to hope. “Do you have enough magic to get yourself out of here?”

“If I had, I wouldn’t be here right now, would I?” Loki retaliated. Sighing, he elaborated. “I diminished my powers in hopes that your devices would not be able to trace me. Thanos knew you would come to take me down again.”

Tony burrowed his head in his hands. “Shit…”

“Don’t beat yourself up now, Stark. It must have been a rather talented creation to have traced such weak signatures,” he said dryly.

“You shouldn’t have done it, dammit!” he shouted. He was angry – angry at Loki, angry at Fury, angry at himself. “You should’ve kept your powers, you should’ve fought!”

“You wound me, Stark,” he said calmly. “Even without magic, I assure you I am a formidable opponent.”

“Then why are you in chains?” Tony asked harshly. Thor gave him a deadly glare.

“Tony…” Steve warned.

Loki snorted. “Thanos is a king, you mortal. He controls time and space, backed by a loyal army, in case you’ve forgotten.”

“But we –“

“A portion of it! You think he would be so stupid as to send in his entire lot? Keep them all in the same place? No. You defeated a good number of them, imploded one of their bases, but it is merely a dent in his plans,” Loki explained gravely. The Avengers blanched at this thought.

“There… There are more? What’s his next move?” Clint asked. 

“I’m no longer a vessel for him to carry out his plans any more, I’m merely his _pet_ now, haven’t you heard?” Loki growled.

“Do not speak of yourself in such a way!” Thor said sternly.

“Can you call your powers back any time soon?” Bruce pursued.

“Not with these cuffs on,” Loki said, ringing his shackles for emphasis.

“We need to find a way out of there – you said there were other ways out, right?”

“I bluffed,” Loki stated.

“You - _what?!_ ” Clint shrieked.

“I lied. I lied to put him on edge, it’s what I do.”

“So, we’re stuck?”

“Well I never said that,” Loki rolled his eyes. “I haven’t exactly had the chance to investigate the entire perimeter, but I’m sure you’ll find your way out soon.”

“Don’t you mean _we’ll_ find _our_ way out soon?”

“As if I’d want to go back with you,” Loki sneered. “I’d rather let my skin and bones rot in the flames of Hel than be brought back into your miserable captivity.”

“You wouldn’t be put in captivity!” Steve exclaimed as if the idea repulsed him – and it did. “Loki, you don’t deserve this – we were wrong about you, but if you showed that you could be trusted, we –“

“Me? _Trusted_? Good Captain, you’ve lost your mind if you think I could ever be trusted. I was gifted with the power of mischief and chaos beyond your imagination, I lie just as easily as you speak truth,” Loki said bitterly. “No, I should never be one you would place an ounce of trust in.”

“Well we have no choice but to trust you now, so I guess we’ll just have to take the chance.”

“Fool,” Loki jeered.

“Answer me this, then,” Clint said to draw Loki’s attention to him. “Why let them take you so easily? Why not burn the ship down as they were taking you aboard?”

“Because he wanted us to turn on each other first,” Tony said confidently. “Burning the ship down would pull us together, not push us apart, unless we were already fighting.”

“And he needed to get to me to do it,” Bruce added. Loki said nothing.

“And killing me?” Thor dared in a whisper. “Did you truly fail to do so, or did you _lack conviction_?”

“You ignorant fool!” Loki growled at him in a feral manner. “Your director claimed it to be built for something stronger than I – a god. It was meant to be secure, meant to be unbreakable by any accounts! You weren’t supposed to escape it!”

The realization dawned upon Thor. “You… you meant to keep me safe, then.”

Loki said nothing, and that was affirmation enough. Thor closed his eyes and prayed to Odin for the strength to escape this mess. Loki, the brother he had alienated, the brother he had thought had defected and truly turned evil, had never truly been out of his reach. Little did he know that his little brother had yet been looking out for him, trying to keep him safe, when he felt that it should have been the other way around.

“I have failed you,” he said in a whisper so low that only Loki, with his enhanced hearing, could detect his voice. The raven-haired god merely blinked at Thor, nothing above recognition, and Thor knew he would make it up to Loki somehow.

“What would have happened if I hadn’t knocked Clint out?” Natasha asked.

“Tash, don’t,” came Clint.

She shook her head, eyes trained on Loki’s. “Tell me.”

“He was on his way to the control panel, to change the coordinates. It would have brought you to Antarctica.” She looked away. Though she knew better than to feel guilty, she was at the very least thrown off by the events that had played out.

Everything Loki had done, he had done it for a reason, and all this time, they had been blind to it.

When Thanos returned, Thor reacted immediately to what Thanos held in his hands. The Avengers couldn’t comprehend what the extremely short pieces of thread could be used for, but by the way the gods were reacting, they knew it couldn’t be good.

"Thor, what is that?" Steve asked nervously.

"The cord of Odin's decree," Thor said solemnly. "He ordered Loki's lips sewn shut as recompense for the destruction he oversaw on your planet."

"HE _WHAT?!_ "

Thanos's laugh cut off Thor's reply. "If the thought alone has gotten you so riled up, I believe we're in for a show."

"Thor, please tell me Thanos isn't really going to... to...." But Steve's words were lost as Loki's screech pierced the air, the end of a thick, bloodied needle coming clean through his bottom, the short end of the thread attached. 

"Hold still, you worthless creature," Thanos grumbled, the other hand cupped underneath Loki's jaw, fingers digging into his hollow cheeks. "Wouldn't want me to have to do this again, would you?"

The threat was clear, and though Loki wouldn't subject himself to further torture, he couldn't stand to lay pliant for the monster that hovered above him. He tried to kick anyway, to defy Thanos in any way he could. Thanos's unbearable weight bore down on Loki, whose limbs were quickly growing tired. The thick, pointed awl finished its first stitch. The thread had been cut, presumably so Thanos could torture Loki for information, and now that he only had remnants of the cord, he could only tie the ends together when he finished each stitch. Loki's screams scratched his dry throat as Thanos tightened the knot against his lips, pulling his skin together and sealing his lips shut with rivers of blood running down his chin. Loki spluttered, eyes closing to trap his forming tears.

"We're only getting started," Thanos said with malicious glee. "Aren't you sorry for not giving me what I asked for now?"

"Stop it!" Thor bellowed. "Take me instead!"

"You wanted the Avengers dead, you have them!" Tony added, his own rage almost uncontrollable now. 

Thanos paused and Loki took the opportunity to let out the air he had been holding, desperately trying to calm his breathing now. The thin layer of sweat that covered his naked body gleamed in the lamplight that came from above. 

"How touching," Thanos chuckled. "Do you hear that, you wretched waste of space? Your so-called brother has not forgotten you like you were so Hel-bent on believing. Are you touched?" He used his thumb to stroke lightly over Loki's cheek, and leaned in so closely Loki could count the specks of black in this irises. "Would you like to watched your brother die by my hands before I slit your throat?" Loki lunged, even against his chains, and managed to collide his skull with Thanos's nose. 

" _You'll pay for that_ ," Thanos hissed as he threaded another strand of thick rope. He punctured Loki's skin, not at all gently, and this time, did not stop no matter what the Avengers said or did. 

The joy that Thanos took in this was evident.

When Thanos finished, he laughed loudly at the sight - something that made the others squirm and retch. The mangled thread and copious blood resembled a rusted barbed wire fence, Loki's groans of agony came from behind his sealed lips like a caged animal's. _At least I was successful,_ he thought, hoping that he had focused Thanos's attention on himself rather than Thor. The moment Thanos left the room, he nodded his head before simply letting it fall limply on his chest, passing out from the pain. 

"YOU'RE A SICK BASTARD! I'LL KILL YOU!" Tony yelled, slamming the ground of his cage, shocking Clint. 

"Calm yourself, Tony!" Natasha hissed as Clint recovered from the surprise. 

"I can't just calm myself," he said tersely. "I can't. I should've just let the stupid fucking carrier sink!"

"And then what, Tony?" She snapped. "Let the world be taken over?" She reasoned, knowing Tony was well aware that they did what was necessary, but that his anger blinded him. 

"I'm still going to rip him apart, limb from limb."

"You have fun with that," she said. "Right after I skin him alive."

"Excuse me but my arrows have rightful claim on those ugly ass eyes of his," Clint piped up, nursing his head from the jolt he received. Apparently, talking of their personal promises against their captor helped them cope with their situation, now entering ten hours of their imprisonment. 

Steve made sure everyone checked in every now and then, though Thor and Bruce were the only ones that needed it - Thor too shaken by his guilt and powerlessness ashamed that his strength would only harm the ones he cared about, Bruce too concentrated on keeping himself calm. His sweat had soaked through his clothes, his calming mantra came out as barely a whisper and he was just barely holding on. If the Hulk came out, he would inevitably shock the team to death. The rest were too busy animatedly describing the forms of torture they would put the purple-skinned bastard through once they were freed. 

Loki stirred and Thor immediately flew to the side of his cage, this time shocking Tony, though the man didn't mind it. He too peered curiously at Loki.

“Brother…”

Loki let out a drawn-out groan, yet still could not hold his head up. 

They were certain Thanos was keeping tabs on them, hidden cameras and all, for he returned just Loki managed to meekly spare a glance at his brother.

“Awake already, weakling?”

Loki couldn’t even manage a glare in his state, the sweat still lining his brow threatening to drop in his eyes. 

“What’s the matter? Too warm?” He laughed as though this were the most hilarious thing he had ever heard before walking over to a large drum, taking the lid off. They didn’t know what to expect, but a barrel of icy water wasn’t what they were expecting. Steve instantly reacted, which Thanos no doubt caught.

“Afraid, soldier? Worry not, this one isn’t for you as you clearly do just fine in the water,” Thanos sneered, wheeling the large drum over, stopping underneath Tony’s cage.

“… _Shit_ ,” came a small voice from above.

“Tell me Loki, how much of a hero do you think you are?”

He let Tony drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to tell everyone that this fic is totally fucking with my emotions too :'(
> 
> Seriously, I bawled all over my keyboard writing this chapter... I'll be posting more as soon as my heart stops tearing itself in two  
> *sobs hysterically*


	4. The Drop of Iron Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you’ll all get the transitions between my third-person narrator format from before and Tony’s POV here, because I really like the way this turned out, and I feel that it gets my point across a little better.
> 
> I should also point out that I'm also a very heavy FrostIron shipper (I feel like I write FrostIron better anyway, and I'm sure people who've read my works agree, but anyway) I'm keeping this floating between GEN/friendship - slash, but forgive me for any slip ups (I can't promise I'll be that sorry)
> 
> so yes. anyway, all aboard the feels roller coaster.

Contrary to what people might believe, the first thing I felt was burning – a sensation that was swallowing me entirely in its clutches. They always tell you to remain as calm as possible, but how the _fuck_ am I supposed to do that when I can literally feel death’s hold on me stronger than it’s ever been before?

That’s saying a lot, when you take into account all the shit I’ve been through – and everything thinks _Afghanistan_ , but that’s only a small part of it.

There was the time where Obadiah had left me to die on my own damn couch, though I suppose nobody really knew about that. 

There was the time I told Pepper to just _hit the switch_ because truthfully I hadn’t actually known if I would survive it – I didn’t care at that time, as long as I brought Obadiah down with me.

This, though - _this_ was some kind of new level Hell. I couldn’t even tell if my toes were still attached, or if I even had legs for that matter because it _burned_. My limbs, I think, are trying to save me on their own accord, but the barrel’s so slippery that I know it’s no good. 

I tried to keep calculations this whole time, that’s what I do – I counted. The time, I mean. I kept track of how many hours we had spent in this godforsaken dungeon – tried to, anyway. We were only sitting at four, from what I know. Nobody came. It occurred to me that nobody _would_ come – after all, everyone who would be looking for us and had the means to do it currently sat in cages watching me drown. What a bitter way to die. I always thought I’d be doing something more – proving to Steve I could die saving the world, laying down on the wire for someone. I always thought I would have _done_ more – helping Bruce get comfortable again, that sort of thing. 

The centre of my chest feels especially cold, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to give out on me so I don’t have to feel this ice-cold fire any more, and I don’t know if that’s what I prefer right now. For all the jabs I’d made about Steve being a Capsicle, I feel like an ass now. 

Everyone’s shouting and I can’t hear a thing, but I know for a fact that my screams are the loudest. 

Now, I calculated how many seconds I would have until my limbs would probably freeze and I’d no longer be able to tread, and the water would probably pull me down and smother me.

 _60._  
\--

“Music to my ears,” Thanos jeered, leaving Tony to splutter and chatter his teeth as he groped for a way out. “Would you save him if you had the chance?” he directed at Loki, shouting above the furious cries from the Avengers above. Bruce was absolutely livid at this point, the green hue settling in quickly. 

Loki gave a curt nod.

Thanos roared with laughter. “You would, would you? You continually _betray me_ ,” he spat, backhanding Loki for good measure. There was a stifled cry, but Loki’s head came back high and proud. “Do it, then. Prove to me you have the guile to even think of betraying me again, prove to your little friends that you’re _worthy_ of their companionship, prove to your not-brother that you’re just _dying_ for his attention. Go on,” he taunted, locking a large hand around Loki’s throat.

“Step away from him!” Steve shouted. 

Thanos did as Steve told, but with a grin upon his face. When he removed his hands, in their place was a heavy, metal collar. Loki didn’t even look down, clearly having worn it before.

“Come, Loki, don’t you want to take your revenge upon me?” Thanos goaded, unlocking the single piece that held Loki’s chains together. 

If Thor was the thunder, then Loki was the lightning, striking with the flash and leaving destruction where it landed. 

There was an explosion of metal and chains. 

_11_.

Loki snarled when he threw Thanos back, the crash resounding through the echoing room.

 _10_.

There wasn’t magic flaring from Loki’s fingers, and they could see the pent up rage that fuelled Loki’s actions, his lashing out at Thanos, tearing the fabric from the monster’s body with sharp nails that left blood in their wake. 

_9_.

“You’ve gotta help Tony!” Steve called out. 

_8_.

His eyes flickered toward Clint and Natasha who were desperately pleading Bruce to calm down.

_7_

Loki made a move towards Thanos before Thor cried out to him. “Please, Loki!” he had begged. 

_6_.

He already knew what he was doing, he knew that every second counted. 

_5_.

Which is why he dodged Thanos’s swing and landed one last kick, launching himself across the room, upon the table, and dove straight into the barrel. 

_4_.

It began.

\--

 _3_.

I was already under, my body tired from trying to escape – I had settled on huddling against myself like they taught you to do in school. 

_2_

He was powerful, strong. He was our worst enemy, and now he’s the one who saved my life. I felt his skin upon mine, and he burned me too, but in a different way altogether. 

_1_.

We broke the surface, and I gasped for air. It’s the last thing I remember doing, and right before I was pulled away, I could’ve sworn I saw a set of rubies. Bright. Sparkling. Like jewels on my mother’s necklace. 

I called out to her.

 

\--

 

Steve had almost formed tears in his eyes when Loki had surfaced with Tony over his shoulder, Bruce actually had. They watched him curiously, stifling their gasps of surprise when Loki looked up at them through crimson eyes. His skin was a deep blue, painted with patterns that seemed to tell ancient stories. Bobbing in the water, Loki’s eyes calculated the wall before him before lifting the arm that wasn’t supporting Tony and grew it to his liking. They watched in amazement as Loki thrusted his bladed arm into the side of the drum, using it to haul them out of the water. He shifted Tony further up on his shoulder and repeated the movement until they were finally at the rim of the old barrel, and Loki threw them both over the edge, landing gracefully on his feet with a thud. He had but a small moment to set Tony down carefully before Thanos hurtled his large form into Loki. The two flew and rolled, stumbling to gain control of the situation. Thanos couldn’t lay a hand on him for too long lest he wanted his skin to burn, and Loki took full advantage of his form.

The Avengers watched, helpless and loathing it. They rooted for the evil they once despised, they prayed that he could come out the winner, even if his odds were stacked so high against him it would be a miracle if he could get out of it alive.

“Thor, please tell me your brother’s going to be alright,” Steve said, still curiously watching this new, blue form.

“My brother’s magic may be bound, but nothing can stop the flow of his Jotun’s blood.”

“Jotun?”

“Yes, he is a giant – a frost giant, son of their realm’s king… and heir. Father had kept it a secret for many years. Even I had never seen my brother in this form before.” He told his story plainly as his eyes were focused on the god below them, struggling and looking almost minuscule next to the Titan. 

Loki may not have had his magic, but his strength came from his rage as he swiped with less accuracy than usual. He left his marks upon Thanos’s arms, chest and back, coming away with bruises himself. He grabbed hold of Thanos’s tattered clothing and bent his legs like a springboard, kicking off Thanos to land on his feet again. He tied the fabric around his waist in a makeshift sarong to cover himself the slightest.

Thanos laughed at the sight. “Ashamed, little runt?” Rhetorical, of course, considering Loki’s mouth was still gruesomely stitched together. He produced a small device that they quickly realized held much more control than it let on. Within moments, Loki dropped to his knees, hands clutched around the metal collar that held strong against his neck, face grimaced in pain, his stitches bleeding from the strain. His shoulders shuddered and tensed. When Thanos threw Loki back into the centre of the ring, he pressed another button and Loki’s scream came straight from his throat, a sound of pure agony before stopping to fall limply. . He left to retrieve his next means of torment, stepping over Loki’s still form.

The Avengers once again stared in awe as Loki’s skin slowly began to lighten and retreat from the tips of toes and fingers and the hairline upon his forehead, watching the colour be chased by the ashen hue to the centre of his chest. They were ignored by the god, his focus completely on the only one he could reach. 

He shook Tony slightly before straightening Tony against him, back to chest. It was a mockery of the Heimlich maneuver, though his hands were placed underneath Tony’s throat and upon his solar plexus. It was a move that nobody was familiar with, but they were relieved when Tony spluttered, water dribbling from his chin. His head lolled back against Loki’s shoulder, and to their surprise, the god didn’t seem to mind. He hadn’t moved, or dropped Tony at least, waiting for the man to recovery, lending him the strength. 

The room suddenly went dark, and Thor let out a cry for his brother he could no longer see. There was scuffling and clanking of chains, the familiar sounds of muffled cries and the Avengers braced themselves for the worst.

When the lights came back on, Tony had been shackled to the wall by one arm, and he slumped against it, clutching his side. 

“Tony,” Bruce called to him.

“I’m fine,” Tony said through gritted teeth. They let out a breath of relief just to know he was conscious. “Loki!” Tony called, his eyes directed to a corner of the room the Avengers couldn’t see. Tony pulled the chain taut, reaching out his arm, but clearly falling short of his goal. “Hey, you hang in there, you hear me? We’re going to get you out.” 

“Tony, what’s going on?” Steve asked.

“Is it my brother? Do you see him?” Thor added worriedly. 

“Yeah… Yeah, he’ll… He’ll be okay,” Tony said with much less conviction than they hoped for. 

“Tony,” Natasha said in the voice that turned water to ice. Thor might buy it, for the sake of his sanity, but nobody else would.

“You’ll be fine, right?” Tony said next, eyes focused on the corner. There wasn't a response. There was, however, a deep, cold voice that they had all come to hate.

“So, little spider, care for more red in your ledger?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the next chapter, I don't write with Natasha very much, but I think I'm doing an alright job and then gods know who I'll end up torturing next I MEAN WHAT OH GOD WHAT  
> and just throwing this out there, not everyone gets their own chapter, not everyone gets tortured to the same extreme, and some may endure more than others (I mean besides Loki, because he is of course the star of this play I'm writing)  
> to keep you guys on your toes  
> xo
> 
> thank you all for the feedback, it certainly fuels me to write faster <3


	5. The Fall of Black Widow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> super quick because I haven't updated in a while  
> ... sorry stevie

It must have been a thirty foot drop when she had started to really accelerate. She landed with a sickening crunch, even though she had tucked and rolled to minimize the damage. Clint flew to the side of his containment cell, eliciting a hiss of pain from Steve.

“Nat?!” he cried down.

“Do not worry, I will take good care of her delicate little body,” Thanos promises sickeningly.

“Don’t you… Don’t you _dare_ ,” Clint says still managing to sound menacing with the severe burn marks across his body.

Thanos had mastered blocking out all sounds, eyes trained on the woman in front of him, hands wrapped around her undoubtedly broken ankle and bruised back.

“Choose one of your friends Natalia Alianovna Romanova” he demanded.

Her eyebrows drew together – first at the distaste of her full name, secondly in question of what he meant, lastly in horror of what he was asking her to do.

“No,” she said defiantly.

“Choose… Or they all suffer.”

“I won’t choose one of my friends to die!” she shouted this time, rising to stand. 

“Oh, you will.”

The battle was not lengthy nor was it glorious, and Thanos had pinned her down with a large hand around her throat, trapping her small frame underneath him. There came a small blade – only in Thanos’s hands that came down to the tip of her jaw. 

“Choose.”

“ _No_.”

She closed her eyes, waited for the sharp pain of the knife, but it never came. Instead, there was a movement above her, the sound of his knife whizzing across the air, and when she opened her eyes, Thanos was no longer paying attention to her, eyes up ahead at where he threw his handheld dagger. 

“Tony!” she called out.

“He’s fine,” Bruce tried to reassure her.

She couldn’t twist her body or head around enough to see, and Tony’s silence spurred her fears on. 

“Tony!” she hollered again, desperate for a response.

“It’s.. It’s all good,” he finally said, though Natasha wasn’t stupid – there was a grimace in those words, one she could hear in his words.

“Why, what do you want me to choose for?” she asked.

“You know exactly why,” Thanos said with a smile. “Now choose, or I will kill them _all_.”

She wanted to call his bluff – but there was no point. Eventually, Thanos _would_ have his fun, and he _would_ kill them. It didn’t matter to him how, he would take pleasure in it either way and Natasha was sure of this.

“She chooses Loki.”

Natasha bit her tongue to prevent herself from asking Tony what the hell he was doing.

“Loki, stop this –“

“No, Thor” Tony cut the god short, his voice still shaky and unsure. “Nat chooses to keep her friends alive, and… Loki is no friend of hers,” Tony added quietly.

“Is that right, little spider?” Thanos goaded. “Do you choose the worthless traitor?”

 _He’s not worthless. He’s not a traitor. He’s not. He isn’t._ Natasha made no move. _Tony, what are you doing?_ Once upon a time, she had said Tony only trusted her as far as he throw her… but since then, they had worked together, faced death together, and had learned to strengthen their trust. She _had_ to trust him, now more than ever, no matter how terrible this plan seemed. She didn’t have the advantage, she didn’t have the eyes to see and so far, Tony was the only person who had Loki in sight.

 

“Three…” Thanos started.

If looks could kill, hers would have slaughtered him. 

“Two…”

“Yes. I choose Loki,” she said at last, hating herself for the decision.

“No!” Thor cried. He banged the bottom of his cage, the metal garbled by his fists cutting him sharply. “Please! Pick me instead!”

Thanos seemed to contemplate this, thumb stroking over Natasha’s pulse with a stomach-turning softness. 

“Very well,” he agreed, getting up off the floor, arm out to catch Natasha’s leg as she no doubt planned to fight with the last bit of her strength. He slammed her to the ground as though she weighed nothing, and let her cry out in pain by his feet.

“Чёрная вдова, Стой смирно.”

Natasha froze at the bit of Russian that commanded her to stay still and soon found why. Thanos had moved towards Thor before a swift, calculated blue streak hurtled into him, sending them tumbling again. This time, Thanos was unfortunate enough to have kept the controls on him – a remote for every cage, for Loki’s collar, and Loki grabbed at everything within reach, hurtling them as far away from them as possible. They found the mark that had kept Loki hidden – a large portion of his arm was just _missing_. What had previously been a strong, thick blade of ice was now absent, blood flowing freely. The struggle was one-sided, but soon enough the attention was back on Loki, who crumpled to the floor, needle sticking out of his shoulder. Loki’s scream died upon his bloodied lips, which he had evidently ripped in order to warn Natasha. The blue seeped from his body, making the wound look even more ghastly until his arm suddenly reformed, mangled. He then went for Natasha again, throwing her across the room with surprising strength, disregarding the pained grunt that came out of her broken body.

“You scum,” Thanos spat at Loki, hands trembling with anger. He grabbed a long, heavy chain that clanked with every step, and made his way to the unconscious redhead, tying her to the wall, just far away enough from Tony that they could not touch. 

He turned to look at Steve in his compartment on his hands and knees, eyes darker than they had ever been. 

“Don’t worry about your new friend Loki. I suspect reversing the super serum effect requires one to have the serum in the first place.”

Steve’s stomach dropped as all eyes now flew to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Чёрная вдова, Стой смирно = "Black Widow, stay still"  
> pronounced: Chernaya vdova, stoy smirno 
> 
> you're welcomeeeee.  
> bit of a cliffy, i'm sorryyyyy !  
> I'll torture steve next round...


	6. The Last Stand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I'm SO SORRY)  
> please still love me :C

Thanos left briefly to retrieve a new vial of the foul injection, leaving Steve fidgety. He had come so far, done so much in his new form – he couldn’t serve his country as just ordinary Steven Rogers, he _had_ to be Captain America.

“It’s gonna be fine, Capsicle.”

“Tony, you’re not helping,” Bruce muttered, finally still with his arms locked around his knees that were brought up to his chest. 

“Loki?” Thor implored to the still figure below.

An unexpected reply came. “What?”

“You still fight for us?” he asked tentatively. 

“You must not know me at all, _brother_ , if you ask such a thing,” Loki spat, pushing himself up with his good arm. The wire was still hanging by a stitch, his lips freed but distorted by the pull of his flesh, ripping it. 

For the first time since their whole ordeal, the blonde Asgardian smiled, though with great difficulty. The memories of their childhood he had spent so long trying to forget came flooding back, the warmth of their brotherhood before the truth had been revealed, the determined little Loki that never gave up.

_“Loki, it’s late,” Thor had said, as if Loki had not noticed._

_“One more try,” Loki insisted, yawning as he stretched backwards, working the knots in his back from hunching over his book._

_“Why not just move on and forget this one?” Thor asked._

_“Giving up is an easy answer, Thor. Working, making progress, achieving your goals – those are the steps of success. To start a task is to make a promise; to leave it unfinished is to break it. They may call me Silvertongue when I find my way past their words, but I am no oath-breaker.”_

___“Thank you… Brother,” Thor said at last._ _ _

____The Avengers held their breath, all eyes on Loki. Yet, there was no usual rebuttal – no _“you’re not my brother!”__ _ _ _

____“Ah, but for what?” the chilling voice of their captor called. “The show hasn’t even started yet!”_ _ _ _

____So soon, it seemed, did the torture continue. With Natasha barely conscious, Tony giving his best efforts to wake her, and Thanos inching closer to Steve, control ready to release him, the team held their breath. Steve closed his eyes, preparing for the inevitable plunder. Loki, now drained, could only watch with his chest heaving for breath._ _ _ _

____Unlike Natasha, Steve fell with his legs forward, aiming at Thanos who miscalculated the distance, ending up with a boot to his face. Tony quickly scrambled to his feet, tugging at his solid chains but rooting Steve on. Could they finally have a fighting chance?_ _ _ _

____Thanos’ fist collided with Steve’s cheek_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____\--_ _ _ _

____ _ _

____“Thor, can’t your father see us?” Bruce asked desperately, shaking._ _ _ _

____“My father can see the entire universe upon Hliðskjálf, his high seat… But I cannot be certain what could prevent his sight, or if Thanos has done something to obscure my father’s powers. I… I am just uncertain – In fact – He –“_ _ _ _

____“Thor, just relax, okay? Try to breathe, we’re going to get out of here, but we need to think. Tell us what you know,” Clint intervened._ _ _ _

____Thor nodded, eyes still trained on Loki’s pale body for signs of a still-beating heart._ _ _ _

____“Loki has always been better than I at such matters,” he admitted. “What I do know is that the wire upon my brother’s lips is the Vartari. It was first used when Loki wagered his neck upon a deal. The dwarves won the bet, and Loki had revealed his trick – he had bet his head, not his neck, and thus they could not take one without disturbing the other. It was agreed that he would be punished for his sharp wit, and stitched his mouth shut. The threads were of high power, unbreakable they said.”_ _ _ _

____“Well it’s true enough, he never broke the thread,” Tony said dryly, eyes locked on Loki’s placid face. The threads indeed remained intact; the only thing broken was Loki’s flesh, forced around the knots to come undone so that he could communicate._ _ _ _

____“It was done in my father's hall, Valaskjálf, where Odin's throne sits. Many say my father sits to survey all the lands, sees every action of every man, and knows all."_ _ _ _

____“That still sounds promising, Thor. Our only hope may be that your father finds us, because I don’t think Fury’s ever going to find this place,” Steve said sadly, hands crossed over his chest._ _ _ _

____“Captain,” Loki croaked, eyes blinking groggily._ _ _ _

____“Loki!” he returned, hopes soaring._ _ _ _

____“Thor…”_ _ _ _

____“Brother, please, remain awake!” Thor pleaded._ _ _ _

____“Mjolnir… the energy. You two…”_ _ _ _

____His intake of breath pained him and he forced his throat clear with a series of wheezing coughs before piecing together his thoughts. “Thanos will be after you soon. You will have but seconds to act…”_ _ _ _

____“I will take his head right off!” Thor said hotly._ _ _ _

____“Be quiet, you fool!” Loki snapped, before having for another breath. “You will do as I say, and nothing else, do you understand?”_ _ _ _

____How could Thor question Loki, forever the more intelligent of the two of them? How could he question Loki, the little brother he had longed to save, then vowed to defeat, only to discover that the goodness had not disappeared?_ _ _ _

____“Loki… what is it you need me to do?”_ _ _ _

____“You must strike me down, once and for all."_ _ _ _


	7. Loki's Last Laugh

“WHAT!?” Came at least three different cries, mixed with Tony’s defiant “NO!”

Natasha had come to, clutching at her leg, broken from the impact of her contact with Thanos, her eyes were screaming opposition. 

Loki surveyed each and every other reaction, surprised, amused, slightly wary. Why, suddenly, were they so anxious to preserve his life? Perhaps because they knew of Thor’s undying and unfaltering love, perhaps because they learned that he, the villain they had been hunting, had in fact been saving their lives? Loki closed his eyes, letting their voices fill his ears, remembering the moment - the moment where his very hunters cried out for him.

“Odin, as magical and powerful as he is, may see everything, but it should go without saying that something very… _explosive_ is needed to catch the Allfather’s eye. He sat upon Hliðskjálf to search for me once, even as I protected myself with barricades of magic.”

Thor, of course, had heard all about it. Way back, when Loki had supposedly slain Balder, Thor’s half-brother, Odin set out to bring Loki to justice. Even back then, Loki’s magic had been extremely powerful, and even Odin himself was wary about his sight against such magic. In the end, even the most powerful sorcery could not conceal the power of Hliðskjálf, and Loki was brought back to Asgard, where he confessed to his crimes and was punished to 450 years in solitude. Though, he was released shortly after seeing as Balder’s death was actually temporary. 

“There must be another way,” Thor croaked.

“There is nothing more explosive in Odin’s eye as the death of his children, by blood or not, served by another one of his children” Loki scoffed bitterly. “I assure you, Thor, if you do not do as I say, your friends will be trapped here until you rot in a heaping pile of bone… while you are forced to watch.”

“I cannot… I… Loki, I cannot – you _know_ I cannot do this,” Thor pleaded.

“Cease your quivering, it is time you prove yourself the warrior you claim to be. ‘ _Do what you must at all costs to protect’_ , correct?” 

Loki had quoted the most well-known chant upon an Asgardian warrior’s lips, for they were a race terribly eager to defend their home, and their loved ones. 

“Anything but this,” Thor murmured, resigned. 

“It must be this way,” Loki responded, his tone final. "Summon Mjolnir, do what must be done."

The rest of the group had varying responses, with Steve grinding his teeth to prevent himself from showing doubt to Clint trying to convey his message of what seemed to be concern at Thor, who was blatantly not paying attention. Those thunderstorm blue-grey eyes were focused on one thing, and one thing only – the little brother who offered his life to save everyone else. 

“You are no villain, Loki. You, are the greatest hero, and the truest warrior.”

Loki’s smirk was deranged from the missing flesh, but his eyes held mischief. “Sentiment, dear brother.”

Thor could barely force a chuckle out, before a single tear escaped his eye to run down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly, even though the rest of the team, Loki included, had seen it. 

Before he had the chance to refuse Loki’s request, Thanos barged into the room, with a syringe gun in hand, filled with a vile-looking purple fluid. 

“Did you know, that a mere concoction can take away one’s Asgardian strength?” Thanos teased. Thor visibly tensed. “Yes, and did you know, that this concoction happens to belong… to me?” He smiled a wicked grin then, taking the controls in hand and staring up at Thor’s cage. Behind him, still on the ground, Loki too was staring up at Thor, noticing the panic in his brother’s eyes. 

_”Come on, Thor.”_ he thought desperately. A part of him was certain he had gotten through to Thor, convinced the demigod that this was the best course of action…. But another part doubted Thor could fully commit to the plan.

Thanos was laughing maniacally, making a show of his little weapon. Loki didn’t think such a magic even existed, for he had never heard of such a potion or curse to take away Asgardian strength… If he had, he might’ve been the one to use it himself, surely he would have known? It didn’t matter now anyway, not with so much at risk – Loki couldn’t afford to call Thanos’s threat a bluff, none of them could. 

The instant Thanos hit the button, Thor had precisely two seconds to make a decision and follow-through, not a moment more. The surprise then, was when he felt the semi-familiar jolt of Mjolnir’s energy flow through his body. He gasped then, straining to keep his eyes open to watch the scene unfold before him. 

 

“Thor, what are you _doing_?!” Tony’s pained shriek came. Steve, on the other hand, was actually limping toward Thor as if he had hopes to defeat the overly-angry thunder god. With incredulous effort, Loki lunged, stretching just enough to bring Steve down beside him. As they rolled and struggled with each other, Thor gave a roar that nearly shook the room, bewildering even Thanos. 

“Brother, forgive me!” Thor croaked, face streaked with tears as Loki went limp beneath Steve’s grip from the pain. Oddly enough, Loki held no hatred for Thor, not even surprise, but rather amusement; he had doubted Thor, yet here he was, at his mercy, and voluntarily no less. He chuckled.

“Loki? Loki!?” **_LOKI!_** ”

The room spun, then vanished, as Loki felt himself falling through the void once more, with Thanos's laugh just as chilling as it was before.


	8. SHIELD's Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (The jet which I am basing this off of is a nice spacious one, like the one Coulson has in Agents of Shield)   
> Again, my apologies for the late update... Made it lengthy to make up for it <3 Will try to wrap this monster up soon.

“What a turn of events,” Thanos said in an amused tone. The sight of the Asgardian, fallen to his knees, was overwhelmingly delightful. And then there was Loki, his mangled corpse being shaken by the sobbing American hero. It was pathetic. 

_Look at these caged birds, flittering, clipping their own wings in fear and desperation to flee. Earthlings, weaklings, species of no matter… The unprofessionalism. Emotions getting in the way of warfare.”_

“The world’s heroes, reduced to piles of bones that barely function, tears and incoherent blubbering,” Thanos boomed, savouring every minute. “My troops will decimate you.” 

“You **monster!** ” Thor bellowed in a voice so thunderous it shook the room. The fury inside him began lashing out in clumsy, strong waves like a tsunami. His footsteps seemed to take hours to coordinate, yet there he was in flash, Mjolnir to Thanos’s neck. A growl – no, a _laugh_ \- met the treat, and the two were tumbling away. 

There was nothing but the sound of Thor’s fury echoing against the walls. “You will PAY!” 

Thanos brought his strength down, barely catching Thor’s shoulder as he sidestepped. With both hands on Mjolnir, he swung, colliding with Thanos’s elbow. A loud shattering came from behind Thor, but the thunder god didn’t take his eyes off his target – in his mind, Thanos was the guilty, the ruined, the corrupted, the purest form of evil, the one who tainted and murdered his brother. The thought alone blinded Thor all over again, his wild swinging continued. 

Thanos was yelling, glass still shattering, his teammates voices blurring together – all a hurricane of noises in Thor’s ears. 

The next seconds slowed as the noises melded into one as bright flashes came through. Suddenly, drops of rain joined the tears on Thor’s face. _Rain?_

At last, he looked skyward – nothing was as it was. 

“Father?” he croaked. 

Odin, in all his glory, with the Aesir army upon Thanos, gave Thor the most solemn look. 

“Father, I…”

Odin turned away immediately, the fight had become colossal. Everywhere Thor looked – destruction, Thanos and his Chitarui, Odin and the Aesir, his midgardian allies – the world was spinning with him. 

“Loki!” he shouted, not sure where that would even get him. He slashed at Thanos’s men blindly, more at Mjolnir’s will than the other way around. 

“Thor!” Natasha’s voice cut through. He turned frantically, spotting her fire-like hair through the chaos. He closed the distance with ease, going to take Natasha’s weight off of Clint. 

“No wait,“ Clint started. “Thor, there’s something you need to know –“

“Tony!” Natasha screamed, trying to step forward. Her leg gave out, despite her determination. Thor caught her easily, Clint’s words forgotten already. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. She merely pointed at the direction she was headed in. Tony was desperately summoning the pieces of his suit, but pieces were being knocked aside and lost in the fray, leaving most of Tony’s body exposed. 

“Barton, you must –”

“On it, Thor,” Clint interrupted, taking Natasha back. “Go!”

At top speed, Thor raced to Tony through the wind and rain; the drastic weather change must be due to Odin’s forces, and though Thor hated to admit it, also due to his subconscious emotional charge. 

“TONY!” he shouted. He leapt, flew and miraculously made it to Tony while fending off dozens of Thanos’s men, if you could call them that. 

“Thor, there’s - something you - need to know,” Tony panted, thankful for the Asgardian backup as his suit finally pieced together on him. JARVIS’s voice was like music to his ears… until he delivered the bad news of course. “Shit, I’ve only got 43% left Thor… This doesn’t look good.”

“Is it Loki?” Thor rushed trying to remind Tony. He remembered Clint had tried to inform him of something earlier, and if it was to do with Loki, he needed to know immediately. 

“Oh yeah, you bet. Thor, Loki’s gone,” he said as the faceplate snapped in place. 

The words hit Thor like a sudden thunderstorm. _Gone?_ “What do you mean he is _gone_?” 

“We can’t explain it, Thor. He’s just… gone.” 

\---

“Director Fury,” Natasha nodded in acknowledgement when they boarded the plane. 

“Romanoff,” he nodded in kind. “Barton.”

“Sir,”

“Alright, let’s cut to the chase,” Fury said in a resigned voice as Natasha sat down to ease the weight on her wounded leg. 

“Wait, shouldn’t we get the others out of there first?” Clint interrupted. It earned him a stern look from Fury. 

“We will. In a moment. First, issues need to be discussed. Don’t interrupt.”

Hawkeye’s mouth twitched with the anticipation as he fiddled with the first aid kid. It didn’t feel right leaving comrades behind, they should be here, in safety.

“I’m assuming there’s a reason you’re talking to the two of us and none of the others,” Natasha’s voice came. It brought Clint back to the conversation. 

“Damn straight. Now listen… There are a lot of things that they” - Fury pointed outside the jet window – “don’t know, and can’t know, until they’re ready.”

He sighed, and rubbed his hands on his face as though to wipe the exhaustion away. “If you’ll remember, New York was under attack not that long ago, and it was something the world had never seen before. We had no tactic, no plan, because we weren’t prepared to face such an incident. Loki played us all –

“Sir, I think we need to tell you what we learned before you go on with this,” Barton butted in.

“What did I say about interrupting me?”

“Director, my respect for you aside, I have to agree with Barton on this one,” Natasha stepped in.

Fury looked back and forth at the two of them – two of his highest trained, highest disciplined assassins were staring back, defiance dancing in their eyes. Sure, Barton may have always had a few issues but Natasha… No, she never flat-out disobeyed an order or spoke out against him, not even when he ordered her to find Bruce when this whole damn thing had started and he knew she wasn’t too happy about that. 

“This better be important,” he said at last.

“Oh believe me, it is,” Clint said with raised eyebrows. 

“Better to start from the beginning,” Fury said as he sat down, bracing himself for the worst.

Clint took a deep breath and exchanged glances with Natasha. “When we were sent to find Loki, we were tracking a very low magic signal… I guess Tony or Strange can explain more about how we stumbled across it, but it was weak, much weaker than it should have been.”

“We thought Loki had possibly been hurt during battle, so we went in wary,” Natasha added.

“We were then ambushed, and our heads covered so we couldn’t see where we were going. We were out cold.”

“Upon waking up, we could see Loki, being held against his will.”

Fury narrowed his eyes. Was he hearing this right? He leaned forward, “Loki was a prisoner?”

“Yes, sir,” Barton reported, staring straight at Fury, not a hint of lies in his eyes. 

“We also found ourselves being held prisoner, in cages specifically meant to hold us and shock us should any of us make a move to escape,” Natasha continued. 

Fury closed his eyes then. He knew the damage – the psychological damage – that could have on his team. He regretted sending them in.

“Thanos introduced himself,” Barton plowed on. “He called Loki… his little pet. He had sent Loki to kill us, or let us die in the battle of New York.”

“And he almost succeeded!” Fury growled, his anger rekindled. 

“No, he didn’t,” Natasha said calmly. “Sir, Loki had his own agenda this whole time. Taking agent Barton was part of his plan all along.”

“When I attacked the helicarrier under Loki’s spell or whatever it was, I was to go the control room and change the coordinates to bring us to safety.”

“But I intercepted him… And so we found ourselves still on our way to New York”

“When that plan failed and Natasha and knocked me out cold, Loki had a backup plan to save Thor at least.”

“The cage?” Fury guessed. 

“The cage, sir. When you first locked him in there you said it was designed for something stronger than an Asgardian… He thought Thor would fall, but at least survive and be held in that tank until this whole thing was over.”

Fury didn’t know what to make of it. How could this have been such an elaborate con this whole time? 

“How the hell did this happen?” he asked bewilderedly. 

Neither of the assassins had an answer. 

“Sir,” Clint croaked. “The things Thanos has done to him…” 

 

\--- 

 

Thor spotted a large, mobile green figure just up ahead, which he took as a good sign. “Tony, the Hulk is straight ahead, see if you can stick close to him for now. I shall try to find the others.”

“Stick close to the Hulk, to be safe? Ha! Never thought I’d hear that,” Tony mused, though more to himself. 

“Well he has saved your life,” Thor reminded him. 

“Yeah, alright, just be safe,” Tony smirked, remembering the Hulk’s extraordinary catch in New York. “And Thor – keep an eye out for… y’know.” 

“Yes, I shall,” Thor promised, parting ways with Tony. He then soared to the skies, hoping to catch traces of his allies. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Tony flying around the Hulk, blasting enemies that had latched onto the Hulk’s back. It seemed that being caged for that long really angered him. 

“Father!” he bellowed, as Odin found himself surrounded by falling Aesir, Thanos’s troops closing in with Thanos leading. He throw Mjolnir to scatter the troops, landing beside his father and beckoning Mjolnir’s return. 

“Son,” Odin sounded weary. 

“Father, I did not mean for any of this,” Thor pleaded.

“First, let us focus on the task at hand.”

Thor let out a mighty roar as he threw Mjolnir with all his might, crashing through a dozen of Thanos’s sentries. 

“Thor!” came a familiar voice. 

“Volstagg!” Thor responded, relieved that the Warriors 3 had come, bringing Sif with them. 

“This has turned into some battle,” Fandral remarked. He had several cuts on his faces, and dark blood covering his usual green attire. 

Thor quickly shook hands with all of them before the five each took on a small squad of opponents, leaving Odin and his select lieutenants to take on Thanos. It was not a fast nor glorious battle, and they tired too quickly. 

“Thanos has countless armies,” Hogun said. “He must have been training and breeding these squadrons.” 

“I agree,” Volstagg piped in. “I see waves of them, dark and filthy creatures. Where is your team, Thor?”

“There just is not enough time to explain it all to you, though I wish I could,” Thor said, exasperated. “What you must know is that Thanos is evil beyond what we had thought. He has tortured my brother for some time now – Loki never meant to harm us, he tried to keep us out of Thanos’s way for our protection but he has paid the ultimate price for it.”

“Loki’s not…” Sif let her eyes ask the rest.

After a moment’s pause, Thor shook his head. “We do not know. We cannot find him, but the rest of my teammates are in no condition to fight. Many are injured and others,” he waved in the direction of Tony and the Hulk. “Others are running low on energy or bordering on losing control. I must find the rest, and I must get them to safety so they may seek medical attention.” 

“We will aid you,” Sif said with fierce determination. The others nodded without hesitation.

“Please, protect my father, help him bring Thanos down so he may pay for his crimes,” Thor begged of them. “I can take my team to safety, but none of us are safe so long as Thanos is free.”

“We understand,” Fandral said, patting Thor’s forearm. “Find your brother, make sure he and your team are well. We will take care of Thanos.”

“Thank you friends,” Thor smiled the tiniest bit. “I appreciate it.”

With a final nod, they set about their tasks, with Thor sending Mjolnir once more towards the Chitauri surrounding Thanos. 

He knew Mjolnir would find his way to him, and so he dashed through the maddened field in search of a familiar face. 

“Natasha!” he bellowed. “Barton!” 

“Stay away!” 

The voice didn’t belong to either, but to the Captain, Thor recognized. He ran for the direction of the voice, through thick trees to a clearing. The scene was most confusing – the Aesir were armed against the Captain, as well as the Chitauri. 

“Captain!” he barked. Steve’s eyes were on Thor in a second before he picked up a nearby log and threw it at the god. Thor dodged at the last second, taken by surprise.

“Captain, it is me!” he rationalized. He walked forward – a mistake. 

“Leave me alone!” Steve yelled, running and tackling Thor back through the bushes. Soon they were rolling through the main battlefield, wrestling each other. Thor grabbed hold of his arms to stop the fighting, but Steve was a master at hand-to-hand combat. Using Thor’s chest and his legs as a springboard, he kicked off and landed a few feet. Thor froze, his hands in the air as a calming gesture.

“Captain, please, it is I,” Thor said gently. He couldn’t tell if he had been heard as the wind continued to roar in their ears. Steve had not made a move, and it was now that Thor saw his face for the first time since this all began. His eyes were widened with craze, the mud and blood smeared across his face making him look rabid. 

“I am your comrade,” Thor tried to reason. “Look, over there,” he said pointing at Tony and Hulk. “We are fighting on the same side.” Spotting approaching enemies, he summoned Mjolnir, and swatted at them before they reached the pair. He instinctively moved closer to Steve – he had already lost one brother, he would not lose another. 

“Thor,” Steve finally said at last, his voice coming out as no more than a breath. He had fallen to his knees, panting for air. 

“Are you hurt?” Thor asked, dropping beside him to inspect him. 

“No… No,” he struggled for air, hand clutching his chest. His eyes fluttered before closing, Thor catching him. 

“Captain!” Thor hollered, shaking the limp body in his hands. He observed that Steve’s chest still rose and fell, so not all was lost – he placed Steve on his shoulder and took off, Mjolnir in hand, to join the others. 

“Where are Natasha and Clint?” Tony asked as soon as he spotted Thor. They landed in the cover of the trees, since Tony was almost powering down. 

“What happened to Cap?!” Tony continued. 

Thor shook his head, his hair heavy with mud and rain. “I could not spot the others.” _Nor could I spot Loki_ he thought to himself. “And the Captain… Tony, it is like he did not even know who I was.”

“He might just be… experiencing some trauma stuff,” Tony offered lamely. He could almost feel it, the PTSD rising in him. He flipped the faceplate open to breathe, turning away from Thor so nobody could see the beads of sweat forming, his shuddering from the struggle to control his breathing. _Come on, not now… Not now_ , he willed himself. _This is no place, no time for a goddamn anxiety attack…. No_.

“Tony?” Thor asked gently. 

“Yeah?”

“I… I do not know what to do anymore,” Thor said, resigned. He was tired – exhausted, from the fighting – his worry over Loki, his family, his teammates… It was all catching up to him. He felt lost, powerless. Mjolnir felt heavier with each passing second.

“Wait, look up there,” Tony pointed. 

At first, there didn’t seem to be anything, just the dark storm clouds in the distance, but then he saw it. The air didn’t seem to quite flow in a patch of the sky, the trees around it blowing away in a circular pattern, almost as if there was a bowl being dropped in place. 

“I do not understand, what forces are these?” 

“Fury,” Tony grumbled. “Make your way over, I’m gonna herd up the green guy.”

Thor did as was told, being careful not to jostle the unconscious captain on his shoulder. He had to squint as he approached, trying to make sense of the invisible force before him. A forcefield of some sort?

A dark rectangle appeared, which Thor then recognized as the door opening, and the steps being brought down so he may enter. Fury poked his head out and waved two fingers to summon him inside. He waded through the storm, entering the protected jet, relieved to see that Natasha and Clint were already inside. 

“Set him down here,” Fury instructed, pointing to a cot they had set up, four women dressed in white waiting beside it. Thor laid the Captain down gently, watching the women start to work on him immediately. It didn’t feel right seeing Steve vulnerable, the oxygen mask over his face. 

“I must return to the battlefield to help the others,” Thor insisted.

“Sit down,” Fury barked. He once again went to open the doors for Tony, who now carried a dishevelled and unconscious Bruce in his arms. “Another one,” Fury mumbled to the women. They simply nodded and went to assemble another medical cot for Bruce. 

“Everyone, take a seat and shut up,” Fury said sternly. “I’ve been filled in on what happened in there. I don’t like it. Not one bit.” 

They sat at a round table, all uncomfortable, tired, restless. Tony quietly disassembled the suit for repairs and recharge later. He helped himself to the first aid kit Clint offered him under the table. Fury had a large screen set up and was showing them different video clips. 

“We had eyes on you from the moment you went to search for Loki. This is what happened en route.” The video showed their vehicles departing, and then cut to a grey screen.

“Someone was obviously tampering with the tapes then,” Tony stated.

“Yes.”

“Someone was watching us watching them then,” Tony pushed further.

“Yes.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Thor kept glancing out the window to check the progress of the epic battle – had his father and the warriors defeated Thanos? 

“This is what’s happening at headquarters,” Fury continued. This camera was the same grey screen.

“Someone doesn’t want us seeing,” Tony again quipped.

“Precisely. I think we’re being ambushed, that this was a rouse to get the Avengers out of the way for something we have at SHIELD.”

“Like what? What is so important that this need be?” Thor questioned. 

“Well, we were hoping _he_ could answer that for us,” Fury said, switching to yet another video screen. This one had an image – a small, dark room with another cot. The patient lay, unmoving, his dark locks splashed across the pillow, bandages covering almost every inch of his body. There was no oxygen mask on him, just a mysterious amber liquid being injected through an IV in his arm. 

“Loki,” Thor breathed.


	9. Secrets and Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't actually advance my plot all that much but I REALLY wanted to write in a few things before continuing on.  
> First, this Steve/Tony BROTP that is about to come is something that I'm actually very happy with. I hope you guys enjoy it because it's one of my favourite things I've ever written.
> 
> Secondly, I WILL be sort of dabbling into the Marvel: Agents of SHIELD storyline but this is still what takes place AFTER the Avengers and BEFORE Thor 2: The Dark World, since that's when I started this fic and I'm going to continue with that. I aven't written any Thor 2 stuff so that's for a different day. 
> 
> Thank you again for your patience, I hope the length of my chapters makes up for my lack of updating <3 <3 <3

“You tell me this instant where he is,” Thor said with shaky breath, eyes drilling into Fury’s, his body tense and about to take flight.

“I’m going to tell you he’s safe. We’re stabilizing him and tending to his wounds. His body has been damaged horribly, but we’ve got a team on it. We’re going to help him Thor, but only if you calm down,” Fury spoke calmly. With Thor, it became predictable – Loki was a sore spot. There was a lot to the trickster that seemed unforgiveable but this whole ordeal shed a new light on his actions and no doubt that it would cause Thor to become conflicted with his feelings. However, in the end, Thor still had fierce loyalty – a sense of duty to protect his younger sibling, regardless of what Loki said.

At that point Thor had realized he had risen out of his chair, and slowly sat back down. The rest of his team looked to be as confused as he was. 

“We saw Loki amongst the wreckage, crawling. We picked him up first to apprehend him as a criminal,” Fury paused at the sight of Thor’s hands balling into fists. “However, with our new intel, it seems we will have to change our stance on that. Loki still has to answer for his crimes against New York, but I believe your father will be taking care of that.” 

“Why have you kept him from me?” Thor demanded. 

“Because he needs to be _left alone_ and to _rest_ ,” Fury challenged him. “This _is_ for his own good whether you believe it or not. What we can spare from SHIELD back-up is coming as we speak to help out, to help _your brother._ ”

“Thor, if the enemies think he’s dead, they won’t be hunting him,” Natasha provided support. “And we could use a little back-up here.”

“We’ve got our resources spread thin… thin enough we’ve had to call Spiderman and other heroes in to help keep an eye out on things.”

Tony facepalmed, rubbing his temples and eyes as if he had aged ten years. 

The logic was sound, but Thor was not used to being kept out of the loop. In Asgard, he was the one usually being reported to, the one helping with the decisions. He suddenly remembered his father, still out there in the bloodbath, still leading many of his friends against the Chitauri. 

“I understand, director. You have duties to your soldiers and battles to be won. Forgive me, but I must do the same. Let me know when I may see to my brother’s being.” He didn’t wait for a response, merely pushing past his teammates to do what he could. Loki was in no shape to be stirred, and he had faith that his friends would look after him. Until then, he must do everything in his power to defeat the monster that orchestrated this whole ordeal. 

The moment he stepped out of the shelter, he was reminded of the harsh wind and stench of blood outside. Slain bodies, Aesir and Chitarui alike, lay askew with open wounds and mouths agape. He could only spare a moment of grief for his fallen comrades, hating that he could not have done more. 

Odin’s strength could only carry on so far. Thanos was valiant, as much as Odin hated to admit it. Both sides were in a tug-o’-war for the victory, and at this point it seemed Thanos’s troops were gaining the edge. Thor had no strategy, that was always Loki’s forte, but he did always have the stamina, strength and determination to wade his way through fearsome battle – and now he had the rage as well. The plan of action – swing. Mjolnir always felt like an extension of his limbs, and she obeyed his every command; he effortlessly lay waste to his oncoming attackers, all resembling rabid animals. They were meaningless kills – he wanted Thanos. 

If anyone thought Natasha and Loki had a red ledger, let them stare in awe. 

 

\---

“Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on now?” Tony asked, irritated that SHIELD continuously keeps him out of the loop. While he admired Thor’s mature and rational departure, there was still a giant question mark above everyone’s heads.

“In time,” Fury snapped. Steve began to stir then, the medics and caretakers fluttering about him. 

“Fuck no,” Tony spat, anger flooding his body as his eyes went to Steve. “I… _We_ almost died out there - _again_. First you send us after Loki, claiming what an enormous threat he is, then you keep him from us and treat him like he’s no threat at all… Something’s not right. And I’m a few seconds away from walking out on your little secret boy band service for good.”

Fury sighed at Tony’s stubbornness. He glanced at Natasha, who was stone-faced, and Hawkeye who gave the smallest shrug. “We didn’t know what was going on at first… Loki seemed like the biggest threat to SHIELD after New York, so we wanted you, the Avengers, to neutralize the threat.

“What we didn’t account for was Loki being used as a pawn or being part of this bigger scheme. Now that we know Thanos is the mind behind New York, SHIELD just found a bigger fish to fry.

“As for Loki’s current situation, I’m placing him in protective custody for lack of a more appropriate term. I’ve been filled in on the majority of what you went through, but I will be expecting each of you to go through a full assessment before returning to the field.”

The words hit Clint lit a freight train. Full assessment. It was another way of saying extensive psychologically drilling. How did that make you feel? Do you think you’re capable of healing such deep pain? How does that affect your relationship with your teammates? Your friends? Does this destabilize your trust in your existing relationships? What are your future plans to help your mind overcome the trauma? Let’s set up a week-by-week therapy regime where you will be required to make a small entry to describe your… 

Clint shook his head. His head was swimming with all the questions they had asked him last time, after the Loki-mind-control mishap. He admitted he was angry – he thought that was a pretty natural reaction. He was beginning to think it was the assessment and therapy sessions were responsible for fuelling his hatred towards Loki rather than what Loki actually did. An elbow to the side shook him from his wandering thoughts. He jolted slightly to see Natasha giving him concerned, but stern eyes. He looked up and realized that Fury had stopped rambling, but was by Steve, who was now sitting upright, face grimaced and eyebrows knitted together. They were engaged in conversation, mostly with Steve in a whisper and Fury nodding every once in a while. 

“What’s going on?” Clint whispered to Natasha.

“What happened to you?” she asked, her eyes hard and searching.

“Doesn’t matter, what’s Steve saying?” 

Natasha pried with her eyes, but responded nonetheless. Her hearing was impeccable. “He’s giving Fury a rundown of what he saw, something about attacking Thor by accident. Doesn’t sound well,” she added, eyes scanning over the soldier. He looked paler, chest still heaving like he was having difficulty breathing, and he had extended his arm as if keeping Fury at a distance. The director didn’t seem bothered, just clasped his hands behind his back calmly and waited. At this point, Tony had gingerly walked over and muttered something to Fury. The director gave a curt nod and made his way over to the pair of assassins, leaving Tony to talk to Steve.

 

“We need to figure out what these goddamn Chitauri are after. No vaults have been reported being broken into. We’ve got agents at every entrance of every location SHIELD has ever kept anything worth mentioning. Even the Fantastic Four are keeping posts around our more high-level locations.”

“What if they’re not after an item, but information? Or a person?” Clint asked.

Fury looked uneasy. “Items are much easier to protect, but you’ve also got a point.” He sighed heavily. “We can’t protect everyone – if they’re after a hero, all we can do is hope they can protect themselves. If they’re after a civilian…”

The unfinished sentence was a good hint at how prepared SHIELD was. Natasha had kept a straight face up until now, but the empty and endless well of possibilities was eating at all of them. “How do we handle the public?” she asked, as Clint noticed she always did.

“For now we don’t make anyone panic until we’re sure about something. Until we have some idea of what we need to do, we can’t make any sudden moves.” The pair nodded in understand. 

“I feel worse than usual,” came a small mumble. The crew all turned to see a confused-looking Banner, pursing his parched lips and swallowing with difficulty. One of the nurses rushed a water bottle to him, which he took gratefully and promptly swallowed in one steady stream. 

“Let’s fill you in,” Fury said in a heavy tone. And so he began, leaving Natasha and Clint to whisper among themselves.

\--- 

Steve watched as Fury walked toward Natasha and Clint, relieved to be out of the director’s presence. Until he noticed Tony looming over him.

“I don’t know what happened, okay?” he said, once again. The same thing he told Fury. The truth.

“Hey it’s cool,” Tony responded. 

Steve looked up and stared at Tony for a long time. They hadn’t exactly connected right away when this whole thing started; he remembered the arrogance and smug looks, the quips and remarks that weren’t very respectful or tasteful, and the permanent crooked smile because it seemed that being Tony Stark meant nothing in this world was a serious matter. Eventually, Steve accepted that they were just different beings, so long as they achieved their goal and could depend on one another to work with the team, well, that was what truly mattered. In this light, Tony looked different. There was no crooked smile, no quick reply or insult. He only saw pools of dark chocolate eyes, brimming with concern – genuine concern. 

He didn’t know what to say. Partially because the silence that hung in the air wasn’t too uncomfortable, but mostly because he was stunned into silence, and between the two of them, it was often Tony who filled this silent void. 

“I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” Tony finally says. Steve is confused, but at this point he’s grateful that he doesn’t have to talk anymore.

“After New York, I know we kind of went our separate ways, did things on our own, but I uh, well I was just left with a lot of time to tinker with my suits and think about what happened.” Tony inhaled deeply through his nose before sighing. “I haven’t really told anyone about this yet, Steve – can I call you Steve?”

Steve was about to respond, but Tony plowed ahead without waiting.

“Actually I liked Cap, we’ll go with that. So anyway, Cap, I talked with Banner just a bit, but nobody really knows how bad this is getting for me.”

He took a moment to breathe and methodically place his words into sentences when Steve really understood the gravity of this scenario. Tony Stark, the infamous and cocky Iron Man was taking a moment to show another side of him – and he was willing to trust Steve even though they weren’t the closest of friends. 

“I get these… These horrible nightmares, like something out of a Tim Burton movie. No, it’s probably worse.” He read the confusion on Steve’s face, realizing it was probably another reference a little too new-age for him. “The point is, these nightmares are terrifying, they don’t make any sense and they’re just… dark. They remind me that I almost died in that battle, and they remind me constantly. Sometimes I wake up and walk through the tower for hours just to make sure it’s all real, that I’m still alive, and when I see a scratch on the wall or a hole in the ground it brings me back, and I remember when I made that scratch or hole or whatever. I’m reminded that even though I sometimes feel like I didn’t survive, I did. I went on to scratch my walls or blow holes in my floor, and I still get to walk around in that tower.”

“Tony –”

“Wait, wait, wait. One more thing… please.” 

Steve had a new appreciation for this man. The vulnerability was new, but it was human, and it was rational – things that Steve hadn’t really considered to be Tony Stark until this moment. His voice was gentle and sombre, and it dawned on him that the battle had affected everyone differently, and Tony Stark was just better at hiding it than most. This was a man confessing to experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder, this was a man confiding in him. He was a brave man, a soldier.

When Banner began to stir, it looked like Tony was ready to flee the conversation, but he waved it off mumbling something about the rest of the team filling Bruce in. Carrying on…

“What I’m getting at is… All this shit we’ve been through… It could have gotten the better of us, but it didn’t. We signed on for this... thing, to try and be something the world’s never seen before. It takes a lot to be a part of that, and Cap, I know you’ve given up a hell of a lot to be here with us – but you’re here. I know you can’t block out what’s happened to you in the past, but you’ve got to remember where you are now and all the things that are coming to you in the future. We make our own decisions, and one day, maybe you’ll have enough good memories to drown out the old ones. I’ve got something for you.”

Steve was bewildered now. What could Tony possibly have for him? He saw Tony reach into his pocket and pull out a small folded up square. “I liked this one quite a bit,” he added, handing it over.

It turned out to be a newspaper article. The headline read “They Saved My Life” and there was a photograph of a young woman with an appreciative smile through some grime on her face and her blonde hair pulled up in bun, loose strands dangling. She was wearing a peach coloured waitress’s uniform and Steve recognized her from the coffee shop downtown that the Stark tower overlooked. She had been kind to him when he ordered, with a melodic voice. He skimmed through the article quickly – the interview had been conducted almost right after the battle, when people were talking and taking sides about the Avengers. She was adamant about the Avengers being the good guys, speaking about how they saved New York, and nothing could be a greater sign of heroism than that. 

And then, Steve’s eye landed on something.

_”… I want to thank the Avengers, all of them, for saving my home, my city – our city. And I want to personally thank Captain America, wherever he is, for saving my life. I will never forget the moment I thought I was about to die because I have never been so scared in my life, but there he was, ready to save me. I owe everything to that brave man because I wouldn’t be here without him.”_

Steve let out a shaky breath he wasn’t aware he was holding. He looked up again at Tony at a loss for words.

“That girl there,” Tony said, “She will get to walk around her place and notice all her scratches and holes because of you. This is a good memory, Cap. Hold it close.”

Tony clapped Steve on the shoulder before walking off to join the others, giving him a moment to take it all in. He looked down at the article again and read it once more. And then he re-read it. 

\---

 

“Director Fury,” a female voice came over the crackling communication link.

“Report,” Fury responded.

“Hordes of enemy combatants overtook the Sahara location. Mr. and Mrs. Reed report –”

_“That bastard didn’t invite me to his wedding?”_

_“Put a sock in it, Stark.”_

_“Put an arrow in yours.”_

“ – reports also shows nothing from the vault was taken, but all our computers, harddrives, and various other tech have been either smashed or stolen. They’re in possession of SHIELD information, sir.”

“Goddammit!” Fury shouted in frustration. “Are we going after them?” 

“The Fantastic Four are already on it sir. Professor Xavier is also sending back-up. Nightcrawler will be with them in no time with Ice Man. Some of the others are arriving at other locations as we speak.”

“Alaska?”

“Our agents confirmed assistance from Wolverine. Rogue and Gambit are on their way, sir.”

_“Wolverine? How did SHIELD even manage that?”_

_“Xavier probably called in a favour.”_

_“Ah.”_

“Hong Kong?”

“Our Alpha squad is there with Kitty Pryde and Lockheed. Nova is also providing aerial support.”

“Our home base?” There was a tension in his voice.

“Hordes at the home base are outnumbering those at other locations. Even with help from Storm, Spiderman White Tiger, Iron Fist, Powerman we have been in a deadlock. Our personnel will tire soon, director, these hordes just keep coming to replace those who have fallen. We need help.”

“I’m trying,” Fury responded as he looked around the room at his broken team. “We have a mess to clean up first.” 

\---

Thor was feeling the energy slowly dissipating. He had been swinging non-stop, scattering the enemies, saving his comrades, but it felt endless. The numbers were so plentiful it was hard to believe he had made any difference at all. 

 

His father’s army was formidable, but not invincible. Slain bodies surrounded him and with his brother on the brink of death, the grief was overwhelming. What use was a golden prince who could not save his people? He remained within earshot of his father as he was not sure how his father was even standing. Odin was not the old, frail king that Thor had sometimes thought he was – he had been overtaken by groups of Chitauri before overcoming them with his power and might, drawing crowds to him and away from his foot soldiers. The king had ridden Sleipnir, who was also stomping on enemies, kicking and bucking with his eight legs to send masses flying back. 

 

The stench of death was heavy in the air, and Thor’s movements were slowing. He hefted Mjolnir again and again. _Thwack! Thwack!_ He felt Mjolnir as if it were his own flesh, each blow he delivered he could feel the contact against bone, flesh, cartilage. Thanos had disappeared from his sight, but he could not afford to be distracted by looking for him. His comrades were in grave danger.

“Thor, get up to the cliff on your right. Your men are being overtaken.”

Thor turned to see Hawkeye with replenished quivers, barking orders from the peak above him, arrows flying. 

“Natasha, there’s some shrubs behind those two cohorts, see if you can – ”

 

“On it.”

“Tony, to the left of Odin there seems to be small ship, maybe you can cut off the reinforcements at the source.”

With renewed energy, Thor played his part and attended to Hawkeye’s strategy. He swung Mjolnir to take flight, landing on top of a Chitauri. He slammed the ground with all his might, sending a shockwave through the ground surrounding him. A dozen more soldiers landed on the ground, taken by surprise. The Aesir squad acted quickly, charging to overtake the rest of the standing soldiers, Thor by their side. They made quick work of the Chitauri, clapping Thor on the back. 

“Let us end this battle!” Thor bellowed confidently, sure that with the Avengers back in the battle they could turn the tides.

\---

“I know you can hear me, come on,” a gentle voice came. “Open your eyes, it’s alright.”

Loki felt compelled by the soothing nature of this voice, but he felt free, like the air. His head was spinning like clouds, he could see stars in the back of his eyelids. Maybe he didn’t want to see anything else. 

“Loki, please, open your eyes.”

The voice knew his name! There are only two types of people who know your name: your friends and your enemies. And since he didn’t _have_ any friends, it must be the second. 

He dared to crack his eyelid open the slightest slice. He saw a blurry human face above him, though it didn’t look threatening. He opened both his eyes but squinted to adjust to the lighting, dim as it was. 

“That’s good, that’s good. You can let your eyes adjust for a bit. Are you thirsty?”

He thought about it. He was absolutely parched. Did that horrendous groan come from him?

“Here,” the voice came again, prodding a straw at his chapped lips.

 _“What an undiginifed sound.”_ Loki thought to himself, slightly embarrassed. He closed his eyes again and poked his tongue out to wet his lips, accepting the straw. He drew in a small amount but the hardest part came next – forcing himself to swallow. The water was cool, but not too cold – the perfect temperature really, but it sat, waiting at his throat.

“Come on Loki, you’ve gotta swallow it now,” said the voice. 

He became cautious then – he still didn’t know who this mysterious person was. It sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn’t tell who it was, eliminating Odin, Thanos, Thor, even the rest of the Avengers. Why was he being so helpful? Loki then swished the water around in his mouth, but could not detect any trace of poison. Tentatively, he swallowed, which resulted in a large gulping sound. He winced. 

“It hurts to swallow?” The voice asked.

Loki managed a small nod. His throat felt like it had been crushed. When he finally remembered what he had just come from, he realized that was probably exactly what happened. Then the panic set it – where was he now and where had Thanos taken everyone? He tried to open his eyes and sit up, but a firm hand came to his chest.

“Whoa, whoa, hold on Loki. You’re okay. You’re safe but you can’t move too quickly just yet. You’re still healing.”

Loki blinked rapidly to clear his vision. Safe? Healing? WHERE WAS HE?!

The face finally came into focus and Loki blinked a few more times just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

“Hello again,” Coulson said with a small smile.

Loki stared at the man. “You… How is this possible?”

Coulson shrugged. “Director Fury told me I was dead for a few seconds, but they were able to bring me back.”

Loki paused, at a crossroads. He knew he had perforated the man’s heart, right in the middle. He was sure of it, as Loki had deadly accuracy. But here this man stood, smiling at him and functioning as a human would. His magic was weak but the innate seiðr he had within him showed life coming from the body in front of him. He could question this man about the witchcraft used to bring him back, but time was precious and he needed to escape SHIELD facilities. Thanos was still at large. 

“Where am I?” Loki asked hesitantly. 

“You’re aboard a SHIELD helicarrier, much like the one you were on last time,” Coulson replied, still with a smile. “And just so you know, I’m here on official business so no hard feelings about our little incident. For now.”

Loki remained wary. “I apologize,” he said after a while.

Coulson’s smile widened to reveal his teeth. “Apology accepted.”

The two stared at each other a while, studying the other. Loki wondered how the man survived while Coulson wondered why Loki suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad guy. It could have been the fact that the “god” wasn’t very god-like at the moment. His hair was dishevelled and his eyes were sunken in. There were patches of flesh just _missing_ although when Coulson had arrived, Loki was without one of his arms and he had watched the unconscious god _grow_ it back. It was a long process and completely mesmerizing. 

“I suspect the healers who treated you and I were very skilled,” Loki stated blandly. He was inspecting his own wounds now, tracing his fingers along his damaged, healing or healed skin. It seemed there was no part of him that was left untouched, to which Coulson actually felt sorry for. 

“Yes, SHIELD has had personnel working with meta-human and offworldly samples. Between studying Thor and some of the other specimens we’ve been brought from various expeditions, we were able to replicate a healing serum specific to your physiological make-up.” 

Loki nodded, making sense of it. “And yourself?” he ventured.

“I was treated at a SHIELD facility for standard operation and spent a lot of time relaxing in the sun after that. Tahiti – it’s a magical place,” Coulson said with a fond smile. 

Loki remained skeptical about the whole thing. He was certain he had brought death to this man, from the moment his sceptre pierced through the skin. It would have only taken him a few minutes to lose his vitals – certainly not enough time for anyone to stabilize him and get him to a facility. But this man had no idea from the looks of it. Loki had never distrusted SHIELD so much before – to lie to your enemies and prisoners is one thing, but he knew SHIELD lied to the Avengers on multiple occasions and now they had lied to Coulson as well. What was a team that did not trust its own members and still claim to be the “good”? 

“Do the Avengers know – ”

“No. Not yet. Fury has directed me to remain hidden for the time being. The Avengers have many tasks to focus on and cannot be sidetracked at any cost,” Coulson said sadly. He enjoyed spending time with the team greatly, and to be ordered away from them had hurt. 

“I see.”

“You must not tell them either,” Coulson said firmly.

“You have my word.”

Coulson wanted to change the subject. “Enough about me, I’m sure you’re wondering about yourself.”

“I am more concerned with Thanos at the moment. If he is still at large, he must be stopped. He is after something at one of your SHIELD facilities, I am sure of it.” 

“We have had plenty of agents and back-up sent to all our locations. One of them was all but decimated but it doesn’t look like anything from the vault was stolen, just a lot of tech lost. We think they were after something on our harddrives but we keep separate logs of information. Since the attacks on our other facilities are still going on, we’ve assumed they haven’t found what they’re looking for yet.”

Loki exhaled deeply. “Thanos does not give up. He will manipulate and destroy everyone who stands in his way.” He spoke from experience after all. “Whatever you may think me, know this: I have suffered at the hands of Thanos in a way that you cannot imagine. Trust my wrath to bring him down. You _will_ need my help.”

Coulson looked into the emerald eyes that were fierce with sincere rage. He didn’t doubt that Loki wanted revenge, but Loki was still a wanted criminal. The public eyes may not be ready to see Loki again. 

“I understand you have a score to settle, but we can’t send you out there. Not while you look like you’re just coming back from the dead yourself. You need to rest. I can someone administer more medication to speed up the process if you think you can handle it.”

Loki nodded. 

\--- 

“We don’t want to push you…”

“But SHIELD’s protecting something that can’t fall into the wrong hands. We know,” Steve interrupted. 

Steve and Bruce shared a look. The rest of their team was out battling a swarm of Chitauri alongside Thor’s father and they were being sent away. It didn’t seem right, but then again, Steve was getting accustomed to SHIELD’s secrecy. What mattered most to him was that civilians were safe. 

“When do we leave?”

“Now.”


End file.
